China’s security ministry warns state secrets being leaked in common crowdsourcing jobs

Ministry of State Security says foreign espionage agencies are duping people to gather intelligence through simplified everyday tasks, internet devices

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Foreign spy agencies are using tactics like crowdsourcing and IoT devices to extract valuable Chinese data, according to the state security ministry. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:18pm, 4 Dec 2024Updated: 5:25pm, 4 Dec 2024

Foreign spy agencies are using common crowdsourcing jobs to steal state secrets, China’s top anti-espionage agency warned on Wednesday, advising the public to be cautious about the highly covert tactic.

The strategy involves dividing intelligence-gathering tasks into smaller jobs and recruiting people using crowdsourcing platforms, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) said in an article on social media. As agencies receive pieces of information collected by these individuals, the data is assembled and analysed to assess a bigger picture.

“They use legal internet platforms [to hire people] and break down their tasks, so it is difficult for individuals to understand their real purpose. The crowdsourcing method makes remote espionage activities more deceptive and concealed,” the MSS said.

Agencies have collected sensitive data about marine hydrology, mineral distribution, and energy reserves, as well as high-precision geographic information, all of which pose threats to China’s national security, according to the MSS.

The article advised caution when accepting tasks that ask individuals to download professional geographic mapping software and upload data at certain locations to win rewards. Such locations were usually sensitive, and security threats could emerge if several people uploaded the requested information, the MSS said.

The article also outlined a scheme in which foreign agencies provided people with Internet of Things devices that gathered information to be uploaded to a highly secure network with wide coverage.